Bloodbank

Thirteen

A tight-knit pack of sheep, the three of us silently wove through the market crowd. I didn't doubt that the vampires who surrounded us could smell me, but Scott's strong arm around my waist left me the safest I had felt in months. 

Nathan's head turned to look behind us, undoubtedly hearing something that my ears weren't refined enough to pick up.

"What is it?" I asked, both vampires increasing their walking speed by only a fraction, but enough for me to notice.

"Footsteps. Lots of them," Nathan replied. I didn't know where we were headed, but I assumed from their occupation that they had points of refuge all over the desert that those pursuing us wouldn't know of. I tried to ignore that that occupation involved selling humans, but I had faith that their motives towards me had changed.

The further we got through the market, however, the denser the crowd got. Scott began to push through, using his shoulder as a shield against the hordes of vampires, some of whom began to turn towards me, attracted by my scent. 

Nathan looked back again, and his hand appeared on the small of my back, pushing me further forwards.

"Nathan?" bewildered, I began to stumble over my own feet. The brisk pace was wearing me out after months of inactivity.

"It's Mason," he hissed under his teeth. My blood ran cold, fists clenching.

"Can't you decapitate him or something?"

"He has friends," Scott replied, and suddenly we emerged from the crowd. I took in a large gulp of air, momentarily catching my breath before I was whisked into Scott's arms and he broke into a run. 

The streets whizzed by, sand kicking up in the wake of Scott and Nathan's sprint. Shielding my face from the dirt, I buried my face in Scott's chest, his arms safely around my back and legs. Despite carrying me, Scott remained elegant in his run, while the same could not be said for Nathan, whose skinny limbs appeared to almost stumble forwards. 

As the buildings began to thin out, Scott and Nathan stopped. I was carefully set down on the sidewalk. 

"I thought we were going to bunker 7." Nathan said, brow furrowed.

"No, 5 is nearer," Scott replied.

"Mason will know about 5."

"Mason doesn't know shit, you're overestimating him."

"Better than underestimating him," Nathan and Scott's voices rose, the air thick with tension. I jumped up, standing between them.

"He's human, he'll never catch up to us, right? We should go to the one Nathan said." I cut into their argument. Scott seemed unconvinced. "I would feel safer."

"Fine," Scott hissed. 

Scott reached his arms out, preparing to pick me up and resume the journey, until the patter of oddly fast footsteps was within earshot. He paused.

"That's impossible-"

And Mason, flanked by at least ten burly vampires, rounded the corner.

"Hello, Ebony," Mason said, his voice smug and detached, "long time no see."

My blood ran cold, fear and confusion causing me to stumble backwards slightly. Scott stepped in front of me, yet this time I doubted he would be able to defend me from Mason's accomplices.

"How-" I spluttered out. I didn't know if I was asking about his friends behind him, or how quickly he had reached us. If Scott and Nathan were as confused as I was, they were doing a good job of hiding it.

"I got an urgent call from the bank that you'd escaped, dear Ebony." Mason smiled. A smile I had never seen before on his face. Any trace of the person I thought I'd known before the bloodbank was gone, replaced with a cold, greedy psychopath, "Aren't you going to greet your old friend?"

My throat dried up, the insults I wanted to yell at him never leaving my mouth. Scott turned to Nathan and nodded. Without even registering what was happening, I was in Nathan's arms and being carried, already streets away.

"Stop!" I screamed, my words being left metres behind us as Nathan continued towards the safe house. I pounded feebly on his arms, attempting to scratch him, anything to get him to go back and get Scott. Yet the buildings continued to whirr by until we had reached the last house before the city stopped and the expansive desert continued. The sight remained breathtaking, with the sand dunes creating waves against the horizon, but I was only reminded of Scott.

"This is the safe house-" Nathan began, carefully setting me down. 

"No. We're going back for Scott," I began to walk in the opposite direction, frustration bubbling inside of me. I hated being this weak and being treated like a child and never having any control over what happened to me and that Scott was in trouble now because of me and I couldn't do anything about it.

"Ebony, stop. He's miles away."

"I don't care! You did that without my permission. There's no point in being safe if Scott isn't too."

"Ebony, please, just go inside. Scott can take care of himself." Nathan was almost pleading at this point, but I continued to walk. I didn't even know where I was going, I just wanted to know that Scott was safe.

A gust of wind, and Nathan suddenly stood in front of me, blocking my way.

"This is what he wanted." Nathan said, his hands appearing on my shoulders. I stopped walking. "He'll be with us in less than an hour, I promise."

"And if he isn't?" I said, my voice breaking on the last syllable. I shook my head, stepping around Nathan. If he was Scott, he would've managed to stop me. But he wasn't Scott, and he was too kind to stop me when I was this upset.

I continued down the street, Nathan following closely behind. My fists were clenched and my steps heavy, but while I was going for an intense look, I had a feeling I looked more like an angry toddler.

In truth, while I had spent most of my time in the bank wallowing in self pity and hopelessness, I had also been thinking about Scott. Dreaming of the moment that we reunited and how long I would then travel with him. I'd always known there was some softness underneath his harsh exterior, and our kiss in the market earlier had confirmed that he didn't just want me for my blood and that I wasn't going crazy. But then Mason had come and taken him from me again, before I had even gotten the chance to explain my feelings, and I didn't know if I would ever see him again. That I felt devastated was an understatement, and Nathan wasn't helping.

I could've been heading in the entirely wrong direction for all I knew, and Nathan just silently followed like a loyal spaniel. I didn't believe he would physically stop me unless I was literally about to walk into lava. He continued to follow as I rounded street corner after street corner, my frustration growing with each step. If he just cooperated we would have found Scott a lot faster. Nails digging into my palms and blisters growing on my feet, I rounded a final corner.

Final because there was a figure at the end of the street, ominously blocking our path.